Greek Haters
 

OK, I really hate to admit this, but I look at the Fraternity Secrets website - just waiting until some Phi Mu secrets are there. So I'm looking at it this morning, and guess what I see...a fraternity's ritual book. The poster claims that they have the books of about 8 other organizations that they will provide links to soon.

My question is - Is there anything that Greek Organizations can do to legally prevent this information from being posted on sites like this? I know that there really must be, but I think organizations would hesitate because legal action would give the impression that the information was in fact true. What do ya'll think?

-VSUPhiMu

P.S - Out of respect to this fraternity, I didn't read the book. I think it's horrible to reveal information that is no one's business but those in that particular organization.

Probably not the best thing to do; posting that on here. This is a very high traffic site.

Can this thread be removed out of respect to our fellow greeks? Everyone remember that we have our own sacred organizations. Lets don't take that from each other.

I dont think VSUPhiMu meant any damage by posting this. I think if she were to remove the name of the group and edit the website the information might be better served.

I dont think we need to remove the thread, thats alittle jumpy, just edit the information!

I would like to know the site to look out for my orgs info being out there! I would recommend this being done by PM though.

Agreed, I didn't mean to sound as if I thought that VPSUPhiMu meant any damage.

I don't think she meant any harm either, but next time you come to this board, take a look at how many views this thread has. Something like this should not be posted, and should be removed. For the respect for all GLO's out there, this should be removed. If this were your org., you'd want it removed too.

Some people are just not that bright thats why we have to help them out.:D

That was not neccessary. :mad:

Yeah, I agree...that wasn't needed whatsoever.

I think the general idea she is asking (and I think this is an interesting topic) is that is there anything organizations can do to prevent fraternity secrets from being published online or in books?

Anyone care to give me an answer?

TG

IP law
 

I'm a law student, but not an intellectual property expert. But here's my interpretation of the question:

If the ritual book is copyrighted material, then its unauthorized use can (in theory) be stopped. It isn't a criminal matter, it's a civil matter, which means somebody would have to sue the web publisher. Unless you could show some kind of harm, you wouldn't be able to collect more than nominal damages even if you won, so the litigation costs would just be out of pocket.

If the host was profiting from the site in some way, that's a different story; you could sue for a share of his profits. The trouble is that the real harm here, of course, isn't financial; it's an invasion of privacy. But the site host will argue that this site is "fair use" of the material because he's printing this in order to further a social or political agenda. If a court buys this argument, then it will be reluctant to stifle political debate unless it sees a concrete harm.

In order to get damages and cover attorneys' fees, you could allege some kind of tort, like defamation of your organization, but that would be really, really tough; since a national fraternity is a public figure, you'd have to prove that they either knew the information was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity. There is essentially no way to stop someone from publishing their _opinions_ of a public figure, no matter how damaging they may be.

If they are using fraternity IMAGES on the site, it's much easier to get an injunction to stop it. That being said, the practical realities
of any of these choices make stopping the sites almost impossible. They can buy a new domain every so often, use fake names, an offshore web company, etc...

So the short answer is, there are laws to stop this kind of thing, but they were designed before the Internet age, and any attempt to get it down would be expensive, time-consuming, and not certain to succeed.

IvySpice

Really...? Hmm...

I dunno, but when the Kappa ritual book was published on the fraternitysecrets website, it disappeared within a couple of days. Word was the Kappa's lawyers said a few well-placed words to the site owner and he backed down fast!

I'm Sorry!!
 

I am honestly really sorry if I offended ya'll. That is TOTALLY not what I meant to do. I value my ritual as much as ya'll do yours and would NEVER mean to do anything that would make any of you mad. As for not being so "bright", think what you want. I have a 3.96 gpa and am on the dean's list. It has nothing to do with being "bright."

Again, I was only asking a question from a legal point of view and am sorry if you are offended.

-VSUPhiMu